BEETLE QUEEN CONQUERS TOKYO

Synopsis:

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo explores the mystery of the development of Japan’s love affair with bugs. Sold live in vending machines and department stores, plastic replicas included as prizes in the equivalent of a McDonald’s Happy Meal, from the smallest backyard to the top of Mt. Fuji, insects inspire an enthusiasm in Japan seen nowhere else in this world. Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo discovers why Japan developed this rich and enriching social relationship with insects.

Using insects like an anthropologist’s toolkit, the film uncovers Japanese philosophies that will shift Westerner’s perspectives on nature, beauty, life, and even the seemingly mundane realities of their day-to-day routines. Tracing the connection all the way back to that country’s first emperor — who dubbed Japan “Isle of the Dragonflies” — the film shows how bugs have wormed their way into every aspect of Japanese culture.